Lucy, best of luck to you! I would be happy to help any way I can! I moved from middle school to high school and the biggest change you will notice is the maturity level of the 9th grade kids. They are still squirrely, but not even close to the level of squirrely that they were just three months ago.

My freshmen are doing grammar this week, then we will do a practice state writing exam, then we go into short stories and the elements of fiction. Brit Lit kids are going right into Beowulf.

Mr.D, I hate when a previous teacher of your subject poisons the kids. You spend half your time trying to break that misconception! Urg.

Thanks Princess :D Yes, the director at the junior definitely wasn't a help, but she's been let go, so hopefully the new person will have a more positive impact on the kids.

And THANK YOU for taking the time to teach your students proper grammar! I'm sure you know how many students are out there that don't speak or write correctly...I find myself correcting my students a lot!

My baby, now 5 ft. tall, started 5th grade yesterday. It seems like Kindergarten orientation was just yesterday--and she was crying for "Mama!" because all the kids were asked to sit together up front and for a moment she could not see me. Those 5 years passed by so quickly...

On a more uplifting note, I heard that this year's teacher is big on science, which until last year was RG Jr.'s favorite subject. She said it was boring last year. This year there will be a 2 month-long science project. It's important for girls in particular to have their love of science nurtured, since unfortunately, it is still too often viewed as a "boys" subject, especially as kids get into the older grades.

Woke up when the alarm went off this morning with a giant book imprint on my face.

Had to laugh Princess when I read that........been there and done that many times before. I fell asleep watching the Olympics last night in my favorite recliner and woke up with a stiff neck.........oh well, at least the weekend is here....42

Lucy, best of luck to you! I would be happy to help any way I can! I moved from middle school to high school and the biggest change you will notice is the maturity level of the 9th grade kids. They are still squirrely, but not even close to the level of squirrely that they were just three months ago.

My freshmen are doing grammar this week, then we will do a practice state writing exam, then we go into short stories and the elements of fiction. Brit Lit kids are going right into Beowulf.

Mr.D, I hate when a previous teacher of your subject poisons the kids. You spend half your time trying to break that misconception! Urg.

Laura

Thanks for good wishes! Sorry I have not been back to this thread, but I have been REALLY busy. The first week and a half went quite well, but it will take a while to get truly comfortable. Luckily for me, the staff at my new school has been really supportive. This is a school with very little teacher turnover, so most of the staff has been teaching there a long time. This is the first time I have been in a school with mostly male teachers. Of course, it is an all boy school, so it makes sense!

I love the freshmen boys. They are still impressionable and are not too different from the eighth graders I have had in the past. My juniors are pretty good, too. After a fairly easy start for tham, we are beginning Anglo-Saxon literature on Monday. After some introduction, we will get right into Beowulf. Fun stuff!

The biggest problem we have faced so far is the heat. The classrooms have been unbearable. Thank goodness the teachers' lounge has AC, and I have a break every two hours. Next week is supposed to be in the 70s, so it should be better.

I am looking forward to Labor Day vacation next week. Not sure what other states do, but here in Michigan, we have both Friday and Monday off (Yeah!).
Then we have a week off from Sept 13-20th because our school is right next to the golf course where the Ryder Cup is occurring. (Double Yeah!) This is only my school, though, not state-wide.